Save the Racks

The Independent Florida Alligator and its signature orange news racks have been an integral part of UF campus life since the newspaper became independent from the university almost 40 years ago. The Alligator focuses on issues that matter to the UF community and strives to maintain the highest level of journalistic integrity.

UF has demanded the Alligator remove 19 of its orange news racks from campus by Aug. 15. If the Alligator wants to maintain its current presence at UF, it would have to lease space in university-owned black modular racks and sign a licensing agreement. This would jeopardize the Alligator’s independence as well as its readership.

The orange racks are the best way for the Alligator to stay independent and be easily accessible to students. By forcing the paper into university-owned racks, UF is able to control the Alligator’s campus distribution, which means the university could eventually force the newspaper off campus. The licensing fee is also an unfair tax on the paper. UF is forcing the Alligator to pay to distribute a free paper that serves the student body.

We at the Alligator ask you to support us in our fight to keep the orange news racks on campus. You can sign a petition to save the racks here. We thank you for your support.

Because the racks, which have been on campus for longer than most of us have been alive, set a clear free speech precedent that the university has decided unilaterally to compromise. It isn’t just the Alligator that’s affected by this; the university shouldn’t (and doesn’t) have the right to dictate which students are allowed to distribute publications on their own campus.

So The Alligator spouts it’s liberal spew (which of course includes complaining about the 1 percenters and how they should pay more in taxes) yet they don’t want to pay THEIR fair share?!?!?! The left is so hypocritical.